India-Russia Current Affairs - 2019

India and Russia have signed an agreement for the leasing of a nuclear-powered attack submarine for the Indian Navy for a period of 10 years.

About the Agreement

Russia will be delivering the Akula class submarine, to be known as Chakra III, to the Indian Navy by 2025.

India had earlier leased two nuclear submarines from Russia. They are INS Chakra leased in 1988 under a three-year lease and second INS Chakra was taken on lease in 2012 for a period of 10 years.

Russia will lease Akula class submarine for the period of 10 years at the cost of USD 3 billion.

Chakra III will be equipped with Indian communication systems and sensors, including the indigenously-developed USHUS integrated sonar system and Panchendriya sonar.

Chakra III get a unified submarine sonar and tactical control system, which are already in use on the INS Arihant. The Chakra III will also get a refurbished hull.

Chakra III weighing around 8,140-ton will have a submerged speed of 30 knots and an operating depth of 530 meters and will be capable of carrying a crew of 73.

Chakra III will also be loaded with four 650-millimetre and four 533-millimetre launch tubes for firing Type 65 and Type 53 torpedoes. Both of these torpedoes are made in Russia.

Chakra III will be powered with 190 mW nuclear reactor.

Addition of a nuclear-powered submarine is an attempt to bolster the naval prowess of the country as a counter to attempts being made by China to expand its influence in the Indian Ocean region. India has already commissioned French Scorpene submarine INS Kalvari and is in the process of inducting another French Scorpene submarine INS Khanderi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for AK-47 rifles manufacturing unit at Amethi of Uttar Pradesh. On the occasion of laying foundation stone PM thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for making the venture possible in such a short time.

The message of the Russian President Vladimir Putin read out by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the occasion.

AK-47 Rifle Manufacturing Unit

The rifles will be manufactures at Amethi as a joint venture between India and Russia.

At Amethi Manufacturing facility, world-famous Kalashnikov assault rifles of the newest 200 series would be manufactured.

This unit envisions full localisation of production over a period of time.

This new Kalashnikov assault rifles will fulfil the needs of national security agencies in this category of small arms, resting upon advanced Russian technologies.

The agreement for the joint venture was reached during the visit of President Putin to India last October.

The rifle manufacturing unit at Amethi symbolises the military and technical cooperation between India and Russia which has been the key areas of the strategic partnership between Russia and India.

Kalashnikov Rifles

Kalashnikov Rifles also known as AK-47 rifles is 7.62×39mm assault rifle, developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. The rifles were officially accepted to the Soviet Armed Forces in the year 1949.

Even after seven decades, the model and its variants remain the most popular and widely used assault rifles in the world because of their substantial reliability under harsh conditions, low production costs compared to contemporary Western weapons, availability in virtually every geographic region and ease of use.